100 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS [eth. ann. 32 



The next day he kept on, and in the afternoon he shot a deer. 

 When night came he lay down by the fire, but he could not sleep. 

 After a while he heard some persons coming to his fire — a couple 

 of women, he thougiit. One asked, "Are you awake?" "Yes; I 

 am awake," he replied. " AVell, my hushiind and I have decided to 

 have you marry our daughter here," came the rejoinder. When she 

 said this he looked at them, and they were attractive women, espe- 

 ciallj' the younger one. He consented to her proposal. He did not 

 know where to go, and thought that if he married her he would have 

 company and could find his way home after a time. The two women 

 stayed all nigiit. In the morning the mother said, " We will go to 

 my home." They walked on until noon, when they came to a village 

 where he thought a goodly number of people v^ere living. He 

 stayed Avith them a long time. 



One night he heard a drum soundmg near by and heard his father- 

 in-law say, " Oh ! Oh ! " The old man seemed frightened by the 

 call. It meant that the little Buffalo, which had escaped from the 

 Djogeon and lived under the hill, was going to have a dance and that 

 all mu.st oome. That morning thej' went to the place where the drum 

 was beaten. The little Buffalo was chief of all these people. He had 

 two wives. When they got to the place the whole multitude danced 

 all night, and the little Buffalo and his two wives came out and 

 danced. He had only one rib ^^'^ on each side of his body. 



The next morning the chief and his two wives came out and went 

 around in the crowd. Being very jealous, he pushed the young 

 Buffalo Man away from his wives and began fighting them; then he 

 went away again. The next morning the old father-in-law said to 

 the man, " The two wives will soon come out and go to the stream for 

 water; they will pass near you, but you must not speak or smile, for 

 their husband is a bad, jealous man, and if you smile or speak he will 

 know it at once and will harm you." He did not, however, obey the 

 old man's words. The two women went for water, and as they came 

 back they smiled and looked pleased, and the young man asked them 

 for a drink ; they gave it to him and went on. His father-in-law said, 

 "You have not done as I told you; now the man will come out and 

 say he has challenged a man to a foot-race, and he will name you." 

 Soon the Buffalo Man came out and said : " I have challenged this 

 man to run. If I am a better runner than he, I will take his life; 

 if he is better than I, he may take mine." They were to begin the I'ace 

 early in the morning and were to run around and around the hill. 

 The one who was ahead at sundown was to be the winner. The 

 father-in-law said, " You must have an extra pair of moccasins to 

 put on if yours get worn out." 



That morning the Buffalo Man came out, and saying, " Now start I" 

 off he went. At noon his friends told his opponent to do his best, 



